The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) elections on December 24 are expected to get high profile with former India captain Mohd Azharuddin jumping into the fray. The 53-year-old Hyderabadi has decided to enter cricket administration and is all set to file his nomination for the president’s post.

“Yes, I will be contesting the president’s post. It was going through my mind for quite some time now. And I have decided to contest. Ladenge toh president ke liye he ladenge, dekho aage sab kaisa jaata hai,” Azhar told The Indian Express without elaborating much.

However, Azharuddin will need the approval of the BCCI’s working committee for his candidature to be cleared. After 11 years of court battle, the Andhra Pradesh High Court reduced the quantum of punishment calling the ban ‘unsustainable.’

With time, he has moved on in life. He also went on to serve as Member of Parliament from Moradabad in UP.
It was last year during the launch of his biopic ‘Azhar’, that the former Indian captain’s life was back in the spotlight again. “I don’t have many fans left,” Azhar had pointed out when a journalist present at the lauch event of the movie admitted to being a great fan of his.

“Whenever I go out, people don’t ask me about my batting but always say ‘Azhar sahab aap bahut ache fielder the’. But I remind them that I used to bat decently too,” he had said.

HCA has sunk into a massive financial mess in recent times and the accounting firm which was commissioned by the Indian board to conduct review of the functioning of state associations has shown HCA in bad light. The Deloitte report highlighted details of the ongoing proceedings of the anti-corruption bureau against the HCA, with alleged irregularities amounting to Rs 87.91 crore.

The HCA had called a special general body meeting a few weeks ago and it was decided to call for fresh elections on December 24. There is no clarity on who could be part of Azhar’s panel, as he says, “nothing has been finalized yet”.